A Picture is Worth... Splitting Iceberg Captured from Space (Updated)

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Envisat satellite captured this stunning shot of the break-up of the A53A iceberg in the southern Atlantic Ocean just off the South Georgia Island. The A53A iceberg originally "calved", or formed, off the Larsen Ice Shelf in late 2005.

The massive fissure in the iceberg was spotted by C-CORE, Canada's ice-tracking service, in early March; the image indicated that the unstable iceberg was likely to split - which it did a few days later on March 4. The resultant icebergs measure roughly 30 km in length; because they are in relatively warm waters, scientists expect they will likely break up, or calve, further - forming several new icebergs in the region.